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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28184871">iconic taste of autumn</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohvictor/pseuds/ohvictor'>ohvictor</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A3! (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Gen, Starbucks</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:23:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,556</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28184871</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohvictor/pseuds/ohvictor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Took you long enough,” Settsu says, as Juza plops his backpack on the ground and takes a seat. “I already ordered.” </p><p>Juza nods. “How much was it?” </p><p>“Do I look like I want your money?” Settsu scoffs. “It’ll be payment enough when you fucking love what I got you.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hyoudou Juuza &amp; Settsu Banri</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Four Seasons with You</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>iconic taste of autumn</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>see <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohvictor/profile">disclaimer</a>.</p><p>this is the piece i wrote for the <a href="https://twitter.com/a3_week">4 seasons with you zine</a>! each piece in this zine combines a roommate pair and a month of the year and crafts a gorgeous seasonal piece. i wrote about room 104 (banri and juza) for the month september! the starbucks trip is informed by my own experience studying abroad in japan and going to starbucks (a... lot...). their seasonal drinks were always very exciting.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s a Friday in mid-September, and the afternoon heat is just starting to break as Juza steps out onto Yousei Uni’s campus after his last class of the week. He’d forgone a sweatshirt today thanks to Settsu nagging him about the forecast (“<em>Why are you wearing that, it’s gonna be super hot today, don’t get our room all sweaty”</em>, etc), but he’s still warm as he makes his way down the path. A faint breeze provides some relief, lifting the hair on his arms as it passes. The leaves on the trees around him haven’t really started to change, especially with how warm it’s been so far this month, but it <em>is</em> fall, for sure. </p><p>Typically Juza goes right home after class, but today he has plans at the Starbucks by Veludo Station, which he’s never been to before on his own. He’s no Tenma, but he is a <em>little</em> worried about taking too long to find it and making the person he’s meeting wait. He sets a brisk pace, not fast enough that he’ll work up a sweat and end up barging into Starbucks looking like he’s just been in a fight, but not slow enough that he’ll be late. </p><p>Minutes later, the Veludo Station-adjacent Starbucks looms before him. Juza takes a second to catch his breath and glance at his reflection in the window, schools his expression into the best neutral mask he can, and pushes the door open. </p><p>Sitting at a table near the back is Settsu. He spots Juza nearly as soon as Juza enters, and when they lock eyes, Settsu cups his hands around his mouth and mouths something at Juza. Juza’s far enough away that he can’t make out whatever Settsu said; it’s probably for the best. </p><p>“Took you long enough,” Settsu says, as Juza plops his backpack on the ground and takes a seat. The Starbucks chairs are small, and Juza is a large guy, so he has to adjust himself on the chair until he reaches an approximation of comfort. “I already ordered.” </p><p>Juza nods. He had expected as much when Banri said to meet him here, hinting at new and exciting seasonal beverages. “How much was it?” </p><p>“Do I look like I want your money?” Settsu scoffs. “It’ll be payment enough when you fucking love what I got you.” </p><p>That smug satisfaction is irritating. But if Juza gets a free drink out of it, he might have to call it a tie. He nods again. Now that his body is settling down from his walk and he can process his surroundings again, he notices Settsu’s wearing a band shirt Juza doesn’t recognize, and his hair is tied back. </p><p>“Besides, it’s only polite to treat your juniors every once in a while,” Settsu says, with a shit-eating grin. </p><p>Yeah, there it is. Settsu’s birthday has come and gone, thankfully, but now they’ve entered the period where Settsu’s ‘jokes’ about being one year older than Juza are still, according to Settsu, funny. “Fuck off,” Juza retorts.</p><p>“Three drinks for Banri,” one of the baristas calls. Settsu shoots up from his chair and darts over to the pickup counter before Juza can move. Settsu tucks a few straws and napkins under one arm and somehow juggles the three cups in his hands all the way back to the table, and then plunks them down in front of Juza, fanning out the straws and napkins beside them as he sits back down. </p><p>Juza is unamused. “There are two of us.” </p><p>“No shit.” </p><p>“And three drinks.” </p><p>“Wow, they always say arts majors can’t do math, but you’re provin’ ‘em wrong.” Juza rolls his eyes. “Asshole, why did you get three drinks?” </p><p>“It’s my money,” Settsu says, which is so <em>infuriating</em>. But he seems to see the vein popping on Juza’s forehead, and explains. “Starbucks has three new drinks for fall, all right? Two of ‘em have chocolate, so I thought you’d like those. And then one’s just a latte with autumn flavoring, so I got that for me.” He snags one of the drinks from the table and cradles it under his chin, inhaling the aroma through the holes in the lid. </p><p>This all sounds like a flimsy excuse for Settsu not being able to decide on an order. But the sight of two free sugary drinks for Juza is really testing his ability to question his blessings. “Fine. What’s in these?” </p><p>Settsu leans forward and points to the one iced drink. “This is the chocolate marron frapp. The big thing’s that it has real chestnuts in it, plus some chocolate and coffee and shit.” He indicates one of the hot drinks. “Chocolate marron latte. Coffee, chocolate, chestnuts, again.” </p><p>Juza vaguely remembers hearing about this in an ad on the radio, or something similar. Maybe the last time Sakyo drove him and Omi to the store, since Sakyo usually puts on the radio. He picks up the frappuccino and examines it. There’s a ton of whipped cream on top, which by itself wins Juza’s stamp of approval, and it’s covered in chocolate flakes and chocolate syrup. Juza brings it to his nose and sniffs it as subtly as he can without drawing Settsu’s attention. No such luck; Settsu’s way too observant for his own good, and he opens his mouth in a quiet laugh at Juza’s expense. Well, Juza still got two free drinks, so he’s still winning here. </p><p>The drink passes muster so far, so Juza feeds the straw in and takes a sip. The flavor is immediately not what he expected; it’s not as sweet as all the chocolate and cream suggest, and the flavor of chestnuts is strong. But it’s not unpleasant, and it’s still cold and creamy with hints</p><p>of sweetness. Juza decides he could probably drink the whole thing. Another sip confirms that, yeah, he’s going to finish this. </p><p>Before he gets too into the first drink, he wants to try the second. Whichever one he likes better, he’ll want to finish last so that the taste will linger in his mouth. The second drink is hot, but Juza removes the lid to find melting whipped cream and chocolate flakes on this one too. He notices the label on the side of the cup specifies whipped cream — did Settsu ask for it? That’s unusually kind of him — though he did buy Juza these drinks in the first place. Time to stop questioning Settsu’s fucking weird behavior and just try the latte. </p><p>It tastes pretty similar to the frapp, although the polar opposite temperature is a little jarring. In this, there’s no cold creamy texture to offset the slight bitter flavor, so Juza tries the obligatory second sip and then sets it down. </p><p>Settsu, his keen eyes watching the entire process, cracks a grin. “You don’t like that one as much, huh?” </p><p>Juza shrugs one shoulder. “It’s okay.” </p><p>“Figures you’d like the frapp better. I read reviews online that said it’s sweeter.” </p><p>“Yeah.” He’ll still finish the latte, though. It’s only polite. Unless Settsu wants it? No, it’s <em>Juza’s</em> drink. </p><p>Settsu raises his eyebrows. “If you put a fuckin’ sugar packet in it, I’m walking out.” “I’m <em>not</em>.” It probably would taste better with some more sugar, though. </p><p>He picks the latte up again, determined to finish it quickly so he can enjoy the frapp before it all melts down. Though that would probably be tasty too, in its own way. </p><p>The coffeeshop is bustling with noise around them, and Juza kind of wants to shrink small enough to not be seen, to disappear into the chaos. It’s a familiar feeling. Unfortunately, Settsu is always the opposite, flashy and loud and in-your-face, and as soon as Juza settles into the too-small chair and starts sucking the drinks down in earnest, Settsu seems to take that as his cue to start chatting. At first Juza wants to tune him out and enjoy his drinks in peace, but he finds himself hanging onto Settsu’s words, an inane story about a group project in one of his classes that he’s finding frustrating. Settsu’s animated as he talks, gesturing with his hands to emphasize his points. His voice is a little loud for Juza’s comfort, especially since they’re by no means alone, but Juza tells himself that just because he tries to be as small as possible doesn’t mean Settsu can’t be as loud as he wants. They haven’t gotten any dirty looks yet, at least.</p><p>Before Juza realizes, he’s finished the latte; minutes later, the frapp is down to its last dregs. His body feels like it’s buzzing from so much sugar and caffeine all at once, his senses overstimulated by Settsu and the coffeeshop, and he folds his hands on his lap and tries to ground himself as Settsu talks on. </p><p>Of course, he can’t escape Settsu’s notice forever. </p><p>“Hey, you finished your drinks really fast,” Settsu says. Juza half expects him to grab his own coffee and chug it, just so he won’t be left behind, and Settsu’s fingers even twitch toward the cup, the same instinct as always to never let Juza have the lead. “Guess you really liked them.” </p><p>Did he? Mostly he feels like he’s buzzing, but he doesn’t think it’s a bad buzzing. “Yeah.” Settsu cracks a wide smile. “Good. I knew you would.” </p><p>“...annoying.”</p>
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